William Sowden Sims was born to American parents living in Port Hope, Ontario, Canada, on 15 October 1858. He graduated from the U.S. Naval Academy in 1880, the beginnings of an era of naval reform and greater professionalization. Commodore Stephen B. Luce founded the Naval War College in Newport, RI, in 1884, to be the Service's professional school. During the same era, Naval War College instructor Captain Alfred Thayer Mahan was writing influential books on naval strategy and sea power.

Gunnery

As a young officer, Sims sought to reform naval gunnery by improving target practice. His superiors resisted his suggestions, failing to see the necessity. He was also hindered by his low rank. Never one to let obstacles stand in his way, Sims overcame the opposition by writing directly (in 1902) to President Theodore Roosevelt. The president, who had previously served as Assistant Secretary of the Navy, was intrigued by Sims' ideas and made him the Navy's Inspector of Target Practice.

On 11 March 1916, he became the first Captain of the USS Nevada (BB-36).

First World War

When the U.S. entered World War I, then-Rear Admiral Sims was serving as President of the Naval War College. Just before the U.S. entered the war, the Wilson Administration sent him to London as a naval representative. After the U.S. entry in April 1917, Sims was given command over U.S. naval forces operating from Britain.

The major threat he faced was a highly effective German submarine campaign against freighters bringing vital food and munitions to the Allies. The combined Anglo-American naval war against U-boats in the western approaches to the British Isles in 1917-18 was a success in part due to the tact and ability of Sims to work smoothly with his British counterpart, Admiral Sir Lewis Bayly, in a very close and friendly working relationship based on mutual respect.

Sims believed the Navy Department in Washington, which was effectively headed by Assistant Secretary Franklin D. Roosevelt, was failing to provide him with sufficient authority, information, autonomy, manpower, and naval forces.

He ended the war as a Vice Admiral, in command of all U.S. naval forces operating in Europe.

Attack on Daniels

In 1919 after the war ended in Allied victory, Sims publicly attacked the deficiencies of American naval strategy, tactics, policy, and administration. He charged the failures had cost the Allies 2,500,000 tons of supplies, thereby prolonging the war by six months. He estimated the delay had raised the cost of the war to the Allies by $15 billion, and that it led to the unnecessary loss of 500,000 lives. Secretary of the Navy Josephus Daniels was more of a politician than a naval strategist, but he ably countered the accusations. He pointed to Sims' Anglophilism and said his vantage point in London was too narrow to assess accurately the overall war effort by the U.S. Navy. Daniels cited prewar naval preparations and strategy proposals made by other American leaders during the war to disprove Sims' charges. Much of Sims' criticism of naval administration was deemed valid by a Congressional panel, yet Sims failed in his attempt to discredit Daniels. Congress allowed the chief of naval operations to continue in a weakly subordinate role to the political civilian appointees-a disappointment to many naval professionals who believed an effective Navy had to be run by its ranking officer instead of by a politician with little naval or strategic knowledge. Despite the public acrimony, Sims emerged with his reputation unharmed and served a second tour as president of the Naval War College (1919-1922).

Sims retired from the Navy in October 1922 with the four-star rank of Admiral.

Honors

•
His account of the U.S. naval effort during World War I, The Victory at Sea, won the 1921 Pulitzer Prize for History.

•
In 1929 Sims received an LL.D. from Bates College.

•
Columbia University conferred the honorary degree of doctor of laws upon Rear Admiral Sims on 2 June 1920.

•
Weeks later, Williams College conferred on him the honorary degree of doctor of laws during its 21 June 1920, commencement exercises.

•
Several U.S. Navy vessels have been named for Sims. Three ships have been named USS Sims, while a transport vessel was named USS Admiral W. S. Sims.

•
The U.S. Postal Service issued a commemorative stamp panel on 4 February 2010, honoring 4 distinguished sailors. One of the stamps depicted Admiral Sims.

Death and Burial

Admiral William Sowden Sims died on 25 September 1936 in Boston, MA. He is buried at Arlington National Cemetery in Arlington, VA, in Section 7, Lot 8002-B.